


Something About Fate

by ikitsunechann



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bad Pick-Up Lines, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, iwaoi if u squint harder, matsuhana if u squint - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 11:22:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6655903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ikitsunechann/pseuds/ikitsunechann
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yahaba runs his fingers around the bright words marked on his wrist, stares at the vibrant purple, orange and lilac hues. It reminds him of a sunset. He feels like puking out all the water he drank earlier.</p><p>Watari just watches him do so, a sympathetic look on his face while patting Yahaba’s back.</p><p> ---</p><p>“So,” Watari starts, cautiously. “Your soulmate is Kyoutani—”</p><p>“<em>Oh my God</em>.” Yahaba gasps. Watari nods solemnly and continues patting his back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something About Fate

**Author's Note:**

> Soulmate AU where the first thing you hear your soulmate say is marked onto your wrist.
> 
> So this is my first fic in this site and in this fandom. (please be gentle) I love Kyouhaba to the moon and back ♡

  
  
  
When Yahaba first meets Kyoutani, he’s barging into the gym like a walking calamity, face pulled into a scowl that promises broken limbs and a gaze so intense it could curdle milk.  
  
He feels his stomach churn uncomfortably and rubs soothing circles on his wrist because it suddenly feels like it’s _on fire_. He watches Kyoutani interact with Oikawa and Iwaizumi, the former whining obnoxiously about something Kyoutani said.  
  
Yahaba’s about to look away when Kyoutani happens to catch him staring. He glares hard at Yahaba before stomping away to practice his serves.  
  
  
He doesn’t know why, but he’s suddenly feeling nauseous.  
  
  


***

  
  
  
Yahaba tried to ignore the burning sensation on his wrist throughout the entire practice— _tried_ to avoid staring at Kyoutani as well.  
  
By the end of training, after their captain gave them pointers and officially welcomed them to the club, he's become friends with Watari; a boy shorter than him in stature (but in the same year) playing the position of libero. They seem to get along really well.  
  
Yahaba was in the middle of talking animatedly about Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s seamless coordination before he bumps into something— someone, apparently, if the annoyed grunt that followed was anything to go by.  
  
The force of the collision sends him reeling and down to the floor.  
  
  
“Ow…” Yahaba winces and runs his hands around his rear before his eyes dart upwards to the perpetrator— only to be met with the _Mad Dog_ (that’s what Oikawa calls him) frowning down at him, looking both parts annoyed and unapologetic.  
  
They glare at each other for a few seconds, the tension heightening as their staring contest continues. Watari was about to intervene, but then Kyoutani scoffs and continues walking towards the locker room.  
  
“ _Watch where you’re going asshole_ ,” Yahaba mutters. But apparently it was loud enough that Kyoutani’s head immediately snaps back to face him and Yahaba flinches. He didn’t mean for Kyoutani to hear it.  
  
“ _Fuck you_ ,” Kyoutani hisses, teeth baring just a fraction, then he finally stomps to the lockers.  
  
Yahaba glares at his retreating form, ignores the searing heat from earlier prickling down at his wrist, and continues to practice his receives with Watari.  
  
  


***

  
  
  
It’s not until later, when he’s changing out of his sweaty practice clothes that he sees it—  
  
  
Yahaba runs his fingers around the bright words marked on his wrist, stares at the vibrant purple, orange and lilac hues. It reminds him of a sunset. He feels like puking out all the water he drank earlier.  
  
Watari just watches him do so, a sympathetic look on his face while patting Yahaba’s back.  
  
He still couldn’t believe it, maybe this was just a horrible prank. He stood up abruptly that Watari startled, then rushed to take some alcohol from the medic kit and rubbed at his skin furiously until it tinged red from irritation.  
  
After a few minutes of futile attempts to scrub the damn joke off he flopped back onto the bench and continued to gape hopelessly at his wrist.  
  
  
  
“So,” Watari starts, cautiously. “Your soulmate is Kyoutani—”  
  
“ _Oh my God_.” Yahaba gasps. Watari nods solemnly and continues patting his back.  
  
  


***

  
  
  
He doesn’t see Kyoutani after that. It’s been a year. And frankly, Yahaba is thankful that Kyoutani has been skipping out on practices. It’s been easier to ignore the stupid words, the stupid marks that were only there for the sake of bringing soulmates together. The more Yahaba thinks about it the more his blood boils in irritation.  
  
He doesn’t dare to speak to Kyoutani about it, he’s too afraid to. Kyoutani must’ve known about it as well, and decided to ignore it. Or not. Yahaba doesn’t know. He still remembers the withering glare that Kyoutani sent him the day they met. He still remembers the way Kyoutani hissed out his first sentence to him. Yahaba sighs for the nth time that day.  
  
  
“What’s wrong Yahaba-san?” Kindaichi asks while Yahaba unconsciously scratches at the cloth covering his wrist. Fiddling with it has become a habit. Yahaba takes care to hide the mark from his teammates. He doesn’t want to answer their questions and deal with their teasing. So far, only he and Watari (and possibly, Oikawa) knows about it.  
  
“Yahaba-chan, if you keep sighing, you’ll end up a sad, wrinkly old man like Iwa-cha—” Oikawa yelps as Iwaizumi kicks him. The team ignores Oikawa’s barreling whines of _‘Iwa-chan you brute!’_ And _‘That’s no way to treat your soulmate!’_  
  
Yahaba is glad they left it as that, smiling softly as he watches Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s petty banter. The genius setter and the Ace were marked for each other since their childhood. It’s quite romantic, he thinks.  
  
To the side, he sees Hanamaki slapping Matsukawa's butt while exchanging insults. Yahaba snorts because that action brought back embarrassing memories. He vividly remembers the horrible pick up line Matsukawa laid onto Hanamaki the first time they met, as dared by Oikawa.  
  
 _

>   
>  ‘Hey, are you butt dialing? Cause I swear that ass is calling me’. After a moment silence came the bout of loud, obnoxious laughter. Hanamaki didn’t look offended at all from that, in fact, he seemed remotely pleased.  
>    
>  ‘Are you a bubble?” Hanamaki asks, the amused grin on his face slowly morphing into a sly smirk. ‘Cause I’d love to blow you’ he replies in earnest, ignoring the embarrassed shriek from Oikawa and the groaning of Iwaizumi. Matsukawa whistles before guffawing like an idiot. After the laughing episode, the two look down on their wrists in wonder, then smiled shyly at each other. It was somehow sweet as it was gross.  
> 

_  
  
How nice. He thought. Yahaba also wanted someone who would look at him like he was the world, someone who would hold him tight and would never let go. He wanted it but,  
  
He remembers even fate makes mistakes.  
  
  
 _  
He just can’t see himself and Kyoutani in that way.  
_  
  
  


***

  
  
  
Yahaba has seen the way his mother crumbled after his father divorced her. She fell into depression, and her sadness also affected the young Shigeru. She would raise her voice at him unintentionally, and break things before lapsing into her sobbing fits that made Shigeru cry as well. She was sent to therapy for some time, and his aunt had to take care of him in her absence. She doesn’t do that now, but the memory was engraved at the deepest, darkest parts of his mind. He’d rather not remember it.  
  
His parents were soulmates, they were marked for each other. As a child, he didn’t understand why his father left them. He still doesn’t understand now.  
  


>   
>  _  
> “Shigeru, listen to me. Sometimes, things never work out the way you want it to, okay?” his mother coos at him softly, stroking his hair after one crying fit. Her voice was hoarse and her eyes were rimmed red.  
>    
>  “Is it my fault?” He inquires, his little eyes gazing at hers. He can see sadness and exhaustion in their depths.  
>    
>  Her breath hitches for a moment, then he’s being squeezed into a tight hug. “No baby, it’s not your fault… It was never your fault. Mama just— It just wasn’t meant to be.”  
>    
>  “But you’re soulmates,” he stated, a fact that had been true then and is still true now.  
>    
>  “Even fate makes mistakes sometimes baby…” Upon seeing his frown, obviously confused, she smiled somberly and presses a kiss to his forehead. “You’ll understand someday.”  
>  _  
> 

  
  
He never took importance of the words she said then, but he did now. Of soulmates not working out, of a love not meant to be despite of the mark that binds them, of fate playing a cruel joke and messing with feelings.  
  
  
He understood it now.  
  
  
 _  
And he doesn’t want that.  
_  
  
  


***

  
  
  
When Kyoutani returned, Yahaba was a bundle of frazzled nerves. He did his best to avoid Kyoutani. He _tried_ his best to focus on practice, and ignore the damn burning heat on his wrist, and the spark that travels up his spine because he knows that Kyoutani is _staring at him_.  
  
Kyoutani doesn’t talk about it. Yahaba is thankful for that at least.  
  
He changes out of his practice clothes in record time, and leaves before everyone else.  
  
  


***

  
  
  
Yahaba doesn’t know how it started or when, but somehow he and Kyoutani have alternately taken to yelling and insulting one another until it escalates into a fight. Kyoutani finds many things wrong with Yahaba, hell, he’ll even insult Yahaba for breathing wrong.  
  
Same goes for Yahaba. He calls out on Kyoutani’s aggressive behavior and sloppy teamwork. He knows what makes Kyoutani snap and frankly enjoys pissing him off. They’ll be like that, arguing and yelling until either Oikawa or Iwaizumi separates them.  
  
  
They fight all the time, every time. And Yahaba doesn’t know _why_.  
  
  


***

  
  
  
“You gotta’ talk to him about it someday you know,” Watari huffs, munching on his onigiri.  
  
  
The volleyball club decided on eating lunch together in the rooftop every day some time ago. Today though, everyone was busy so it was just the two of them. Yahaba was thankful for the silence, and it helped him arrange his thoughts.  
  
“There’s nothing to talk about.” he stabs the poor tamago, which earned a disapproving look from his friend. “He clearly hates me, and it won’t work out.”  
  
Watari sighs. “You don’t know that. Maybe if you’d— I don’t know, _talk to him_ , you’d both be able to do something about it or even better, _make it work_.”  
  
Yahaba stares at his clothed wrist, then at Watari, and sighs as well. “You don’t know that too.”  
  
  
 _  
“You can’t run away from it forever.”  
_  
  
  


***

  
  
  
Oikawa apparently knows about the whole problem— of _Yahaba’s problem_ , because he’s too sharp for his own good like that. And it seems he’s had enough of their issue that he assigns Yahaba to set for Kyoutani every single day starting now.  
  
Yahaba feels nauseous all over again, but reluctantly, he does as he’s told.  
  
  
He silently prays that practice goes well so he doesn’t have to deal with Kyoutani any longer than he already has to.  
  
  


***  
  
  
Practice doesn’t go well _at all_.

  
  
  


***

  
  
  


>   
>  _  
> “If you dare drag the senpai’s moment through the mud, I’ll never forgive you.”  
>    
>  “…And here I thought, you were just some shallow guy.”  
>    
>  “Well, you aren’t exactly wrong about that. I may be shallow, but I respect our senpai. Please. Lend us your strength.”  
>  _  
> 

  
  
  


***

  
  
  
After their loss to Karasuno, Yahaba was named captain, and he took over the club while Oikawa and the rest of the third years study for finals. The second and first years practice twice as hard to fill for the absence of their seniors. They vowed to get revenge at the next Interhigh.  
  
  
You’d think after that match Yahaba and Kyoutani would get along better. After that messy toss that Kyoutani turned into a point they would stop fighting entirely. Yahaba thought so. But he thought wrong, because somehow their relationship worsened and Yahaba doesn’t know _why_.  
  
It affected them to the point of disrupting practices.  
  
  
Yahaba kept fumbling easy sets, because he can’t bring himself to look at Kyoutani. He would send high tosses, low tosses, all with poor timing. And no doubt, Kyoutani was getting pissed about it. Yahaba was pretty frustrated as well. He’s feeling anxious, the atmosphere is suffocating and he just wants to go home, curl in his bed and pretend none of this is happening.  
  
After another poorly-aimed toss, Kyoutani decidedly had enough. He growls and grabs Yahaba roughly by the shirt. “What the fuck’s wrong with you?” He hisses into Yahaba’s face. He can hear the gym getting quiet and feel all their eyes train on them both and their soon-to-be fight. Yahaba clenches his hand into his shorts and looks away.  
  
“Nothing—” he rasps out, his throat suddenly dry. “I’m sorry. Let go.”  
  
“Bullshit. We’ve been at it for hours and all you’ve given are shitty tosses,” Yahaba feels the heat again and he knows the other could feel it as well. He shrinks back, because Kyoutani is so _close_ and Yahaba desperately needs air and _space_.  
  
“I know,” he hisses and shoves at Kyoutani’s shoulder weakly, hoping he would let go. Unfortunately the grip on his collar tightened and Yahaba feels like fainting. “I’ll do something about it _so let go dammit_.”  
  
“I thought we fixed whatever the fuck needed to be fixed at that match.” The wing spiker snarls at him. “What the hell did I do this time to make you mad at me again?”  
  
“I don’t know okay,” He pushes Kyoutani in a final attempt to ward him off, but Kyoutani stays still. “Go practice serving with Kindaichi—”  
  
“You’re a shitty captain. Your tosses are shit. Sometimes I can't stand your fucking face.” He seethes.  
  
“ _Excuse me_? Okay, you know what, go fuck yourself,” Yahaba grips one of Kyoutani’s hands. “Let go, I can’t deal with you right now—”  
  
Kyoutani growls at him and roughly yanks up his arm. Yahaba yelps as Kyoutani rips off the cloth covering his wrist. He can feel him eyeing the exposed skin. Their teammates stare at the whole thing silently, not sure if they want to interrupt them or leave them be. Yahaba feels his eyes water. He focuses on the floor, not daring to look at Kyoutani.  
  
Kyoutani grunts and shoves his hand close to his face. “Is this your problem?”  
  
“Oh, so we’re talking about it _now_?” Yahaba spats.  
  
“I don’t see you bringing it up on your own bastard,” Kyoutani growls and then sighs. “Shut up for a bit Yahaba. It’s been a fucking year. We’ve avoided it enough already.”  
  
“I don’t want to talk about it.”  
  
“Yahaba—”  
  
“I said I don’t want to talk about it!”  
  
Yahaba closes his eyes shut, willing the anger in him to go away. Then he feels the grip on his collar loosen. The next thing he feels is Kyoutani holding his arm gently, fingers idly feeling over the words on his wrist.  
  
Yahaba opens his eyes in time to see Kyoutani’s scowl tone down into a _dare he say it_ — soft expression. It looks foreign on his perpetual frowning face. He looks good like this.  
  
“You don’t have to worry about it you fucking dumbass,” He starts, voice hoarse and Yahaba can see that Kyoutani is tired of all this as well. “If it bothers you so much then just pretend it aint there yeah?”  
  
He hears Kyoutani snort before he looks up to meet Yahaba’s gaze. Kyoutani holds out his own hand for Yahaba to see. The taller eyes the rich blue, yellow and white that paints the words, and Yahaba is faintly reminded of sunrise. It contrasts his own, a deep sunset and he feels his lips twitch slightly.  
  
“Things don’t have to be different,” Kyoutani says. “These stupid marks don’t need to be a big issue. I don’t fucking care, so you shouldn’t either. Nothing's gonna change.”  
  
Yahaba feels the tension slowly drain out of his shoulders, feels himself relax as Kyoutani continues touching the mark on his skin. The heat is back, Kyoutani’s fingers leave fire in its wake. But Yahaba surprisingly doesn’t mind. His hand wanders to Kyoutani’s wrist and hesitantly teases the words as well.  
  
“Yeah,” Yahaba whispers, “I’m sorry— I, I won’t do it again…” and Kyoutani hums as they both splay their fingers over the others’ skin. Yahaba was rewriting the words, then moved to the follow the lines of the veins in Kyoutani’s wrists and following the callouses on his fingers. This was relaxing, he could get used to this.  
  
A cough jolts them both back to reality, and they turn to see the third years by the gym’s doors. Oikawa was grinning smugly at them, Hanamaki and Matsukawa smirking in the background. Iwaizumi looked either proud or amused, Yahaba can't tell. Kindaichi was almost dying from embarrassment.  
  
“Alright kids, if you’re done flirting,” Yahaba feels himself flush and Kyoutani growls at Oikawa. “Get back to practice. We came to watch you guys play without us”  
  
Before Kyoutani extracted himself from Yahaba, he left one last lingering touch on the mark.  
  
“Fuck off.” He says gruffly, somewhat amused. Yahaba wasn’t sure if he was reading them out or telling him that. Nonetheless, he laughs at the irony and shoves at Kyoutani’s shoulder. Kyoutani retaliates by bumping him on the side and Yahaba bites his cheek to hide his laugh.  
  
“Watch where you’re going asshole.” He can feel butterflies partying in his stomach.  
  
In the background, he can hear Kunimi make a gagging sound and Oikawa's chuckle.  
  
“I mean it you two, _stop flirting_.”  
  
  
These marks don’t need to be a big issue. Yahaba thinks.  
  
They weren't actually an issue, he's just too stubborn to admit why it is.  
  
  
 _  
He sees his mother clutching at her husband's photo longingly, the sorrow on her face expressing the pain in her heart.  
_  
  
He's not scared of the idea of soulmates, he's not scared of Kyoutani and he's not scared of love either.  
  
  
Yahaba is just scared of the pain these marks may bring.  
  
  


***

  
  
  
“Yahaba-chan, you’ll have to learn to get along better with Kyouken-chan if you want to play on this team.” Oikawa gently scolds him as soon as practice ended. “You’re the captain now, right? A captain needs to get along with his ace.”  
  
“…Yes Oikawa-san,” Yahaba replies sullenly.  
  
“So better work that tension off you two okay~?” He singsongs, “There was some progress today at least. It'll be fine~ You two are soulmates after all.” And with that, he struts off to pester Iwaizumi.  
  
Of course Yahaba knows they’re soulmates. And he’s been avoiding that fact for quite some time. But today he’s found that it wasn’t as bad as thought it would be— and he’s finally ready to deal with it. And he knows Kyoutani knows that too.  
  
  


***

  
  
  
They get along somehow. Yahaba tried so hard to make it work, since Oikawa asked him to. He wasn’t going to let his senpai down.  
  
Yahaba drags Kyoutani to have lunch with them. He honestly thought he would decline the offer but surprisingly, he didn’t. He just grunted his complaint and allowed himself to be pulled to the rooftop. Everyone was shocked at first, but accepted Kyoutani warmly. Yahaba sits beside him even if it his skin tingles at the proximity.  
  
He tutors Kyoutani as well. Yahaba was good in math, so once in a while, he’d offer to tutor him and in return, Kyoutani helps him with Biology (which surprises him again, he didn’t think a grumpy egg like the mad dog would be good in science). Kyoutani wants to be a vet he learns, and that he loves dogs so much.  
  
He learns a lot of things about Kyoutani, and likewise, he feels Kyoutani is learning about him too.  
  
One Sunday after they finished two practice matches, the whole club was resting under the shade of a tree because it would burn to be under the heat of the sun. They had mats splayed out, laughing and bickering over volleyball and random topics.  
  
Yahaba sees Kyoutani walking towards them and he waves, a little smile gracing his face. Kyoutani grunted in reply to the seniors’ greetings and plopped ungracefully beside Yahaba.  
  
“Here,” Kyoutani tosses a bottle of mango juice at Yahaba who barely catches it. When the taller boy looks at him questioningly, Kyoutani shrugs.  
  
“It’s mango juice you dick. I know it’s your favorite.”  
  
Yahaba ignores Watari’s shit-eating grin. Feels his lips twitch before beaming at the small gesture. He can’t deny the warmth he feels inside his chest, as if his heart was doing backflips.  
  
  
 _  
Maybe this would work after all.  
_  
  
  


***

  
  
  
The seasons come and go. The seniors have graduated and they enter their third year. Kyoutani and Yahaba get to know each more, both in and out of the court. They made a routine to walk each other home after practice until it reaches a point where they visit each other’s houses. The two developed a habit of spending their Mondays tucked in the privacy of Yahaba’s room, playing, studying or just simply lazing around. On weekends, Yahaba would spend the day in Kyoutani’s room or out playing with Kyoutani and his dog.  
  
They would sometimes stroll around the malls and parks, Watari occasionally tagging along.  
  
Yahaba doesn’t deny that they are indeed closer than ever.  
  
He still feels that heat on his skin, feels the sting down at his wrist. But he doesn’t mind at all.  
  
  


***

  
  
  
“You ever think fate messes up sometimes too?” Kyoutani stares at him incredulously. He’s currently lying on Yahaba’s lap, the movie they were _supposed_ to be watching now long forgotten. Yahaba chuckles and continues petting Kyoutani's hair. “You know, like maybe it paired up two people by mistake? That two soulmates weren’t meant to be?”  
  
Kyoutani contemplates this for a moment then scoffs. “I don’t know about that fate and destiny bullshit but I think that things happen for a reason.”  
  
“My mom and dad were soulmates. But he divorced her, despite that fact. He found another woman and married her. They have their own family now. My mom didn't take it well.” Kyoutani stiffens under his hand and looks up at Yahaba cautiously. "And... So did I."  
  
“Shit. S’rry ‘bout that."  
  
"It's okay, it happened a long time ago. I guess it was why I was scared of us being soulmates— scared of loving you." Kyoutani was silent. Yahaba carried on.  
  
"But I'm fine now. I mean, you're here." Yahaba smiles softly and it's the most beautiful thing Kyoutani has ever seen. "I'm just... worried about mom. She's been better, better than before honestly but still..."  
  
When Yahaba falls silent, Kyoutani cups his beautiful face in his hands, swipes his thumb over soft cheeks and presses a chaste kiss to his lips. "Hey. Don't worry about it. I’m sure things will be alright. Your mom is a strong woman."  
  
Yahaba feels his eyes water and blinks back the tears threatening to fall.  
  
"Everythings gonna be fine babe. Your mom will find happiness. And so will you.”  
  
Yahaba smiles and reaches to rub his thumb against Kyoutani’s wrist, conveying through touch the joy that blooms in his chest. He feels that everything is finally falling into place. Kyoutani returns his smile and Yahaba feels like he could fly.  
  
  
 _  
I already found my happiness.  
_  
  
  


***

  
  
  
Yahaba runs his fingers around the bright words marked on his wrist, stares at the vibrant purple, orange and lilac hues. It reminds him of a sunset. Only he doesn’t feel like puking anymore.  
  
He then stares at Kyoutani’s wrist, at the rich blue, yellow and white that contrasts his; the colors of sunrise. He lines their hands and snorts at the lameness of it all. Afterall, ‘fuck you’ and ‘watch where you’re going asshole’ isn’t remotely romantic in the least bit. He doesn't care. It suits them both just fine. They're both idiots like that. Kyoutani reaches over and kisses him. Yahaba kisses back.  
  
“I love you,” Yahaba says. Because he has, for a while now. And he always will.  
  
He watches in amusement how Kyoutani’s ears turn pink at the sap, and how he grunts, embarrassed and all but says, “Love y'too.” in a soft tone.  
  
It took them a while to get to where they were. It's also going to take a while for everything to fully settle into place. There might be problems along the way, but Yahaba finds that with Kyoutani by his side, he's willing to face them all.  
  
  
  


  
**_____________**  
  
  
  
  
  
_  
Even fate makes mistakes sometimes,  
But things happen for a reason.  
You will surely find happiness.  
_  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Come and cry about kyouhaba and Haikyuu with me [here](http://ikitsunechann.tumblr.com/)


End file.
